Baby its cold (and windy) outside

If you remember in an earlier post how we remarked that we had uncovered the potted plants in the nursery earlier than normal. Temperatures at that time had been very warm and we did not want to force soft growth under the covers. March has been mild for the most part and the plants have been coming along in a normal fashion, but a little ahead of schedule. Well, now we have a very cold period here starting last night along with some fierce winds. The temperatures are not uncommon for this time of year, but following a period of warmer than normal temperatures, they can be hard on plants that have started to push up new growth. Couple that with strong winds and the new growth can be desiccated. We recovered the potted plants, a grueling task, and put large upended pots over the perennials in the garden that were flowering.Not easy in winds over 40mph. We wanted to protect the new growth on our plants for sale, and the flowers on stock plants that would produce seed for future propagation. All of the plants would have and will survive the cold and wind, but might look pretty sad had we not covered them. The plants in your gardens may have been hit by this weather change but should replace any damaged growth in a fairly short time. Spring is full of surprises, some challenging.